Strength comes from peace and connection

“I strive to be void of fears and negativity so that there is room in my heart for blessings and goodness to enter and flow through me. I am striving to cultivate a pure heart. Blessed are the pure in heart.” ?

Laura Lane from?‘I Touch the Heavens’

Sometimes one of the most difficult parts of the challenges we face in life are the weight of the decisions that need to be made. It is during this time that we most need to hear inspiration from God.

I would like to share with you what I shared a few years ago in my book Two Mothers One Prayer. It was written to support cancer families facing the challenges of a childhood cancer diagnosis, to face those challenges with hope, strength and courage.

Since then, I have seen this advice help friends and clients deal with tragic losses, broken relationships and dark emotions that were holding them back from connecting with God. It is something we talk about more in depth in my retreats as we prepare to reflect and seek inspiration through meditation.? I hope you might find it as helpful as I did when I learned this process.

“After my daughter Celeste started her chemotherapy treatments, my friend Lorie sent me a copy of a book by Joe Vitale and Dr. Ihaleakala Hew Len,?Zero Limits: The Secret Hawaiian System for Wealth, Health, Peace and More. She felt strongly that it was book I needed to read.

This book featured the ancient Hawaiian teaching of Ho’oponopono. It’s a long name for a beautiful and simple concept. It was exactly what I needed to learn to help me be better in tune with God so I could be open to the inspiration I so desperately needed as I sat with my daughter each day.

After reading all about Ho’oponopono and learning all that Joe Vitale and Dr. Len had to share about the topic, I began to see what was hindering me from being connected to God and spirit and my ability to gain the inspiration I desperately needed to best care for Celeste.

First, I was reminded that God is love.

In each moment, He loves us. When we can connect to that feeling of love in the present moment, then we can connect to God and be open to the inspiration, to the guidance He wishes to give us in that moment.

When we recognize and accept our true identity, our relationship to God as one of His children, we then recognize our divine nature. We acknowledge that He really is in charge. He controls all things and He desires what is best for us. He loves us.

Problems occur when we focus not on the present moment but instead get caught up in the past. We get stuck in old memories, old beliefs and paradigms, and all the negative emotions of the past: resentment, fear, anger, blame, confusion, jealousy, hatred, and judgement.

It is at that point that we deny our true identity. We disconnect from God and inspiration is blocked. Our paradigms, beliefs, and old memories are in charge. When we accept our true identity, when we are connected to God and spirit, when we are open to receiving inspiration, we are then feeling God’s love, feeling grateful, loving, peaceful, kind, humble, fully responsible for our lives, and accepting of others.

So, the key question is: how do we get back to feeling love and peace? How can we be open to inspiration when we are stuck in the emotions of fear and resentment and anger? We can’t just say, “Be at peace!” We need to make a transition, and that is where the process of Ho’oponopono comes in.

In its most basic form, Ho’oponopono means: I’m sorry. Please forgive me. Thank you. I love you.

You can have a silent conversation with God and say, “I’m sorry I’m stuck right now feeling (fear, resentment, anger, blame, etc.) for this situation, this person, this problem. Please forgive me.” Then allow yourself to feel the peace and say “thank you” and “I love you” until you begin to feel the love in your heart again.

This process became a life-saver for me. There were many days when I had to sit across the room from my ex-husband and I would stew in the emotions of resentment and anger and frustration and blame. It would eat me up inside.

But once I began using the Ho’oponopono, I could have those silent conversations with God and say “I’m sorry I feel resentment toward David or Michelle right now. Please forgive me. Thank you. I love you.” Now, many times, the feeling would come back as soon as I looked at my ex again, but I would just repeat those phrases over and over again until I could finally look at him without feeling the resentment.

Because the truth was that in that present moment he wasn’t actually doing anything to me. He was just sitting there, but I was caught up in the past, remembering things that had happened years ago. The Ho’oponopono helped me to come back to the present moment and be grounded and feel the love God has for me and be open to the inspiration I needed to best help Celeste in the present moment. It brought me an incredible sense of peace.“

I believe that peace is one of the key reasons we need to take the time to reflect and strengthen our connection to God. We make far better decisions when we are in a peaceful state. When life sends us challenges to face, there are so many important decisions that need to be made and for which we need as much inspiration as we can get.

I found that taking the time for reflection leads to finding the peace to be open to the inspiration I need. I learned to let go of the stress and worries, and I could focus on being there to best step up to the obstacles and challenges at hand.

What benefits will you receive in your life when you take time to reflect, let go of negative emotions, feel more peaceful and connected to God?

?“Remembering God’s love equals finding rest. Rest for the weary.”

Laura Lane from?‘I Touch the Heavens’

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